Our trip to Bangalore spilled over to a long weekend so the obvious plan was to go backpacking. After evaluating the many options that Bangalore has to offer, we settled on Coorg also called the ‘Scotland of India’. That would be quite like a trip abroad on a low budget, we told ourselves. The name was given to Coorg by the British and it was not just for the climate and landscape, but also because the Coorgs like the Scottish people, have distinct costumes, and enjoy their drink (coffee in this case) to the fullest.
After a 135 km drive, the latter part through coffee plantations, we reached Madikeri which is the district headquarters of Coorg. The first thing that I asked for after checking into the hotel was their locally brewed coffee. I’m always fond of coffee made with freshly boiled milk and here I was swept off my feet with by the drink made from coffee fresh from the plantation and milk fresh from the cow shed.
We first visited the Madikeri fort, a hundred year old structure with prisons, temples and a museum containing weapons and objects of the bygone era of the reign of kings. We stopped to view Raja’s seat, a huge cliff overlooking the beautiful valley. It offers a breathtaking view of the neighboring hills, green valleys lush with coffee plantation and paddy fields. We then drove to Thalacauvery- the sacred origin of the river Cauvery. The beautiful mountains and a temple add character to its sanctity.
What overwhelms you during the drive is the acres and acres of coffee plantations with local Coorgi people hunched at work. It’s believed that the Coorgis are descendants of Alexander the Great, for; they do have tall and well-built structures. The women are draped in saris that are pleated at the back rather than the front unlike other Indian women. We also saw pockets of pepper and cardamom orchards. It’s a lovely sight- that of clusters of raw, green pepper hanging from trees.
After a meal of traditional Coorgi food consisting of Thamputtu (banana, white jaggery, sesame and gram dal) and Uppittu (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cumin seeds and dry lentils) we proceeded on our way to Abbey Falls which is about a half an hour drive from Madikeri. We climbed down the 200 and odd steps through coffee plantation to reach the frothing and gushing falls which merrily join the river Cauvery after their descent further down.
The next day after a hearty breakfast of dosa and idli, we went to the Dubare Elephant training camp which is on the banks of river Cauvery. The place is run by the Forest Department and almost 150 wild elephants at a time are tamed and trained here. There are camps available for tourists to stay from where they can watch the activities of the elephants while they are being bathed, fed and trained and also ride on one of the tuskers if they are brave enough. Another option is of rafting downstream Cauvery and soaking in the thrill of an adventure.
It was a relaxed weekend trip and we came back refreshed with the luxuriant green of the hills and the aroma of coffee fresh in our minds.